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Lee Murphy

Lee Murphy

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Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness

Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness

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Description

<p><b>The absorbing, definitive account of CrossFit's origins, its explosive grassroots growth, and its emergence as a global phenomenon.</b><br /> <br />One of the most illuminating books ever on a sports subculture, <i>Learning to Breathe Fire </i>combines vivid sports writing with a thoughtful meditation on what it means to be human. In the book, veteran journalist J.C. Herz explains the science of maximum effort, why the modern gym fails an obese society, and the psychic rewards of ending up on the floor feeling as though you're about to die. <br /> <br />The story traces CrossFit’s rise, from a single underground gym in Santa Cruz to its adoption as the workout of choice for elite special forces, firefighters and cops, to its popularity as the go-to fitness routine for regular Joes and Janes. Especially riveting is Herz’s description of The CrossFit Games, which begin as an informal throw-down on a California ranch and evolve into a televised global proving ground for the fittest men and women on Earth, as well as hundreds of thousands of lesser mortals. <br /> <br />In her portrayal of the sport's star athletes, its passionate coaches and its “chief armorer,” Rogue Fitness, Herz powerfully evokes the uniqueness of a fitness culture that  cultivates primal fierceness in average people. And in the shared ordeal of an all-consuming workout, she unearths the ritual intensity that's been with us since humans invented sports, showing us how, on a deep level, we're all tribal hunters and first responders, waiting for the signal to go all-out. </p>

Story Behind The Book

The story behind Ygor is a simple one. So simple, in fact, I didn't feel compelled to really work on it for another fifteen years! I was at a friend's house (we were both long-time fans of the old horror movies and such), when in walks this huge black cat. My friend says, &quot;Oh, that's Ygor.&quot; Of course, that is a character immediately recognized by his name as the famous, deformed lab assistant known for helping Dr. Frankenstein in various movies, television shows, novels and comic books. Upon hearing the cat's name, I realized this was a character whose story had never really been told. Almost as suddenly, I had the whole thing worked out in my head: what kind of person this was, how he grew up, the neglect and abuses, even the ending. I always knew I could do something with it, but it was many years before I sat down and typed out that first paragraph, &quot;The cold does not bother me the way it does most people. I believe it is because I am part animal&quot;

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Reviews

<table style="width:100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;width:90%;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border-right-color:#ece9d8;" width="90%"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span> </p> <p></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;width:.1in;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border-right-color:#ece9d8;" valign="top" width="10"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">  </span></p> <p></p></td> <td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;width:100%;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border-right-color:#ece9d8;" valign="top" width="100%"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"><strong>An intriguing and original retelling of Mary Shelley's infamous horror novel</strong>, June 7, 2009 </span></p> <p></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border-right-color:#ece9d8;" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">By </span></p> <p></p></td> <td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border-right-color:#ece9d8;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A14OJS0VWMOSWO/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp"><strong><font color="#004b91">Midwest Book Review</font></strong><strong><span><font color="#004b91"></font></span></strong></a>(Oregon, WI USA) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A14OJS0VWMOSWO/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&amp;sort_by=MostRecentReview"><font color="#004b91">See all my reviews</font></a></span></p> <p></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt 0in;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;">Why would anyone follow Dr. Frankenstein through his insane experiments? &quot;Ygor&quot; takes a look at the man who stood behind the evil genius and helped him finish his work. An in-depth portrayal of the character, &quot;Ygor&quot; breathes life and soul into the man who has become an icon for the mad genius' sidekick. An intriguing and original retelling of Mary Shelley's infamous horror novel, &quot;Ygor&quot;is well worth the read. </span></p> <p></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border-right-color:#ece9d8;" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></span> </p> <p></p></td> <td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;background:#cccccc;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;width:.1in;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;border-right-color:#ece9d8;" width="10"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></span> </p> <p></p></td> <td style="padding-right:0in;padding-left:0in;border-left-color:#ece9d8;border-bottom-color:#ece9d8;padding-bottom:0in;border-top-color:#ece9d8;padding-top:0in;background-color:transparent;border-right-color:#ece9d8;" valign="top"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></span> </p> <p></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:#000000;font-family:Verdana;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;"><font size="3"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"></span></font> </p> <p></p>